How to create your own Gallery of Wall Art

A few weeks ago at the Ultimate Women's Show many people complimented me on the job I had done on the 'photo gallery' in my basement.   (Thank You!) A number of people I spoke to wanted to do something similar but were unsure about how to go about doing so.

So pretty with the soft blue-green back drop

I found that there really is no hard and fast rules to follow, rather, it is more of a personal preference to how you wish to place your collection.  However,there are some guidelines to loosely follow that will help you bring it all together and get just the right look that you are after.

This room is soooo romantic

The rule that guided me was to have a common theme that united the gallery.  Examples of how this can be done are by using the same colour or style of frames; black and white photography; or having the same print but in different colours or finishes. 

Andy Warhol is famous for art such as this where a photo is repeated in different colours

Measure your proposed arrangement first either on the wall with paper cut outs the same size of the frames or on the floor as I did in the picture below.  This will give you an idea of how your masterpiece will look once hung & save your wall from having too many nail holes due to mistakes.

Sorry for the angle, but you get the idea

For my own gallery I wanted a mix of old and new frames to incorporate older accessories that would help complement my upcycled large antique buffet.  Although the theme of our pictures shared a common thread in being photographs taken during our travels, I still wished for something more to tie them all together and provide a cohesive look.

Matt colour - CC512 - Marshlands - Benjamin Moore

To keep costs down I decided to simply use the large printed colour samples from Benjamin Moore as mats instead of having photographs framed and matted professionally.  It took a bit longer to measure it all out myself but I was pleased with the end result for the budget I had to work with. 

I purposely chose not to centre the main photo of 'Ayres Rock' in line with the buffet and made sure I had enough room to include accessories such as my lamp & Chris's Bali dolphins on the left side.

Source

Some galleries of wall art are uniformed as above and some are scattered with no formal lines or boundaries.  It all depends on how your home is styled and what you like best.

Here are some more examples to help you decide which style will work best for you.

No 'Negative' space happening here! Quite busy and eclectic, but that may just be the way you like it.

Contemporary, clean and casual.

Why not try something completely different?  Plates are making a return in home decor accessories.

I really like this.

Need help deciding on where and how to put together your gallery of photographs, art or accessories?  Please contact me and I will be happy to offer my professional opinion to get you started.  claire@creatingcontrastdesigns.com

Picture frames filled with Cheer!

Hanging empty picture frames on the wall is something that you have probably seen before in decorating magazines.  I have a friend who has empty frames in her house with dried flowers hanging upside down within them and I always thought of how unusually beautfiul this looked, but I don't think I ever told her - Yes Sheri, I mean you!

Source

This type of wall art can be used for a refreshingly different festive focal point over the holidays by displaying christmas ornaments within the frame.  If you choose to do this in your own home I would suggest doing it in one or two places maximum.   When you repeat something different more than a couple of times, it loses it's effect of being 'interesting' - a bit like the 'focal point wall' that I have often seen repeated in every room of a home.   

Creative and Casual

Ribbons add extra colour

Depending on the look you want there is more than one option for displaying your ornaments.  Hang balls from ribbons if you wish to add more colour and softness to your wall art.  Alternatively, if you would like the ornaments to look as though they are 'floating' opt for fine fishing line instead.

Vary shapes, sizes and colours

Be careful not to overcrowd items within the frame and allow for 'negative space' which gives your artwork room to breathe.  The size of the frame and the impression you want to convey will determine how you display the ornaments within the empty frame.

Don't overcomplicate things, these single ornaments in small frames are cute too

Another idea for hoilday decor is to wrap frames or pictures to look like Christmas gifts.  These can either be hung or leaned up against a wall on the floor, shelf or mantle.

This blank canvas of a white wall comes to life with red presents with green ribbon.

In the photo above, repeating the red and green with other elements in this vignette really brings it all together.  If it were just the pictures alone that added the pops of colour, there would be no balance.

I hope you are enjoying my 'Top Ten Home Decor Ideas for Christmas' and I would love to hear what you have done in your own home this holiday season.  I understand Christmas is less than 10 days away now and you have most likely finished your decorating and are busy getting ready to entertain family and friends. 

However, if you are doing some last minute decorating over the holidays there are still a few tips on the way.  Next post will be about a new way to use Garland on your stairs, something out of the ordinary that I had never seen before last year!